Here's mine from the #spidersona hashtag game! I like to knit, so I liked the idea of a clumsy yarnball spidersona.

I definitely fall into the boat of needing something to fuel my inspiration. I find it difficult to sit down and just... draw. I need a plan, an assignment, even if it's self-assigned, to get started. It's why I keep lists upon lists of art prompts on Google Drive. Just in case.

@Chip-Valecek Thanks very much!

@NessIllustration OMG! We definitely should meet up! I don't have many artist friends in Ottawa, and I'm actively trying to get out and network more!

@Braden-Hallett Thanks so much! I see you have a webcomic - awesome! I'll have to read it.

Hey everyone! I'm Allie, and I'm a part-time freelance illustrator & cartoonist from Ottawa, Canada. In the other part-time, I hold down a day job as a communications coordinator to keep the lights on.

I've drawn my whole life, though I never took art school outside of drop-in life drawing classes. I've been freelancing since 2006 in one form or another, but I took a big art hiatus from 2010-2013 while I worked full-time and managed a bad home life. I've bounced back with a better life and have successfully returned to freelancing, but my art has never quite gone back to what it was, let alone really improved.

So, here I am! I've been a member of the SCBWI for a year now, and it's inspired me to make the switch from a jill-of-all-trades illustrator to a focus on illustrating and sequential storytelling for children/young adults. I really want to bear down on the fundamentals of art that I never took the time to learn, and in the process improve my art at its core.

I have a goal to flesh out my portfolio to be more focused on comics and kidlit by the end of summer, and from there I hope to start working towards a career in children's illustration! It took me until age 35 to finally find a career path I'm passionate about. Don't give up.

Plus I love forums. So, hello! I hope to engage with this community along the way and share my progress.

Cheers!